It is conventional to provide heavy duty wreckers and like machines such as mobile cranes and backhoes with hydraulic outriggers for stabilizing the vehicle while performing its anticipated function. Specifically in the field of heavy duty wreckers, sometimes referred to as a rotator because of the ability of their boom to rotate about a vertical axis 360 degrees, a hydraulic outrigger system provides superior stability through a variety of lifting and recovery situations. The outriggers found in the prior art include a cylinder-piston type fluid motor having the ground engaging pad connected to the outer end of the piston rod and the cylinder connected to the vehicle frame. These outriggers are mounted on the vehicle in such a manner that when extended to the operative position, they are disposed in either an oblique or divergent attitude, or a substantially vertical attitude relative to the vehicle. While these outriggers have been satisfactory for their intended function of stabilizing the vehicle, it is desirable to increase the distance of the outrigger's extension from the vehicle for additional stability in given situations. In other situations, such as where space is not adequate to allow full extension, a shorter outrigger base might be preferable. The ability to have extensible outriggers is magnified in the situation of heavy duty or super heavy duty hydraulic wreckers because of the presence of a rear underlift which may be used to tow a disabled vehicle. This underlift must generally be capable of lowering to ground level and lifting a vehicle to be towed.
To overcome the disadvantages experienced with vehicles which require rear outriggers but which also include an underlift, the vehicle may be provided with outriggers that are capable of extending their ground engaging element from the rotator in a generally horizontal fashion. This two stage extension allows a greater width of support by widening the base of the outrigger. The outrigger assembly of the present invention is an improvement over the prior art by allowing this extensible movement to occur at a greater distance from other outriggers and, in the preferred embodiment, outside the perimeter of the wrecker. The foot of the outrigger extends rearwardly away from the wrecker and, when positioned, will extend outwardly and laterally away from the wrecker to increase and maximize the stabilization effect.